UHS art teacher proposes 11-day Europe trip for summer 2026; board will vote next week

Noelle Porco, an art teacher at Unionville High School, presented a proposed 11-day international trip for art students to Paris, London, Brussels and Amsterdam scheduled for summer 2026.

The trip itinerary would run roughly June 20 through July 3, 2026, and the estimated cost is about $5,300 per student, Porco said. She told the committee the itinerary adds Brussels and Amsterdam to prior Paris–London proposals to increase the number of sites students see and better align with AP Art History curriculum needs. Porco said the proposal is aimed at increasing student participation by offering more destinations and more time in multiple cities.

Porco said the trip would be limited to students in the art program in grades nine through 12; semester-long survey classes would be excluded because instructors do not get to know those students as well. She confirmed AP Art History students are included in the target participants.

Committee members clarified that the language-department trip and the international-club trip are separate offerings and noted the district already has other travel options in different summers. The presentation concluded with the item listed as a voting item for the district’s regular board meeting next week.

No formal motion or vote occurred during the CIT meeting; the committee recorded the presentation for the board’s upcoming action agenda.

The presentation materials were prepared in collaboration with EF (the district’s tour provider), and Porco said families may seek EF’s global scholarships and payment plans to reduce upfront costs.